Sunday, March 17, 2019

Steel Curtain has been topped off at 220 feet in the sky and it has completely redefined the Kennywood skyline. By structure, it is the tallest coaster in the park and the state, though Phantom's Revenge still owns the record for the tallest drop at 228 feet. The views from the east as you approach the park are especially impressive. Now you can see the coaster from pretty much anywhere in Duquesne and across the Mon Valley.

Just a few months until opening! I can't wait to see them get the track work done and start testing this thing.

I don't have any idea of how this coaster will ride, and I cannot wait to find out. This thing is so radically different from anything else that I have seen. Considering the designer is Joe Draves, this thing will almost certainly be eccentric and wild, considering he has also designed Lightning Run at Kentucky Kingdom, one of the wildest coasters ever built.

Lens switch time!

The lift hill looks pretty awesome.

So we headed across the Mon Valley the next day to the Westinghouse Bridge, the giant concrete arch bridge that you can see from the lift hill on Phantom. It is about 1.5 miles, as the crow flies, between the Westinghouse Bridge and Steel Curtain.

The 180 foot Skycoaster to the right, shows a great point of reference on how huge this coaster is.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

When we last checked in on construction on Kennywood's new Steel Curtain Roller Coaster, they were in the midst of assembling the giant crane to begin construction on the taller parts of the coaster. Our last visit was in the middle of a snowstorm. Since Punxsutawney Phil proclaimed the start of spring, this visit was in the middle of a foggy day.

Now we see the coaster really coming together. The coaster's supports are now approaching 200 feet in height. Additionally, notice the track work happening in the valley following the first turnaround on Racer. This sort of meticulous care is why Kennywood's wooden roller coasters ride as well as any in the business.

What is likely to be one of the most exciting sections of the coaster for spectators is coming together. The ride's crossing over the midway between Aero 360 and Racer, features an airtime hill on the first crossover, and then a zero-g roll, which is advertised as a "Top Gun Stall" by the park, in order to communicate and keep up with foreign relations. Both elements look absolutely gorgeous and should be extremely exciting for both riders and spectators alike. It is reminiscent of the bridges featured on Waldameer's Ravine Flyer II and Cedar Point's Gatekeeper. It will prove to be a huge hit.

There is so much track action! It was mesmerizing looking at it and thinking about how the whole coaster will come together. The coaster has looked dramatically different on each of our visits.

This coaster is huge!

The bridge is beautiful. I wonder what kind of lighting package the coaster will have. I cannot wait to see what it will look like reflected upon the lake.

Monday, January 14, 2019

Construction is on track at Kennywood, in more ways than one. The large crane has been installed, meaning we should soon see the coaster soon double in height to being over 200 feet. At least two inversions have been completed, out of the nine that will be throughout the course of the coaster. I can't wait to ride this thing! This prototype looks like it will be fantastic and I am not sure what to expect. Two previous updates, with more details and construction progress, can be seen here and here.

Sunday, December 16, 2018

It is so much fun watching a coaster get constructed. Steel Curtain is no exception to this. In one week we have seen the track started to get put into place, starting with the brake run and heading into the last inversion in the course of the ride's layout. They made some impressive progress in construction over the last week. This link will take you to our much more thorough update from last week.

The first inversion in the progress of construction, and the last one in the chronology of the coaster's layout.

If you are looking for a gift for someone, or for yourself, check out our 2019 Roller Coaster Wall Calendar. It is available through the dropdown menu at the top of this page, and through our Etsy Store.

Our 2019 Roller Coaster Calendar

It features roller coasters from many amusement parks, including Knoebels, Holiday World, Waldameer, Kentucky Kingdom, Carowinds, Cedar Point, Family Kingdom, Kennywood, Darien Lake, and Kings Island. These calendars are custom made with photos taken by the authors. The calendars open up to be 17 inches tall by 11 inches wide. Purchases can be made using the PayPal menus at the bottom of this page, and at the top of the page.

Sunday, December 9, 2018

We just had our first chance to see Kennywood's new Steel Curtain Roller Coaster since construction has gone vertical. The bright yellow supports of the coaster pop out so nicely with the skyline. They are currently around 100 feet in height, and I can only imagine how imposing this coaster will appear once it reaches 220 feet. This S&S-Sansei (and Vekoma) creation should be amazing. It will top out at 220 feet, have the world's tallest inversion at 195 feet.

Here is a list of some of the spectacular stats on this prototype coaster:

Height: 220 feet - tallest roller coaster in PA

Speed: 76 mph

Inversions: 9 - most in North America

Tallest Inversion: 197 feet - tallest in the world

Length: 4,000 feet

Sky Rocket, with Steel Curtain and the steel plant in Braddock in the background.

The track staging area in the area of the old K-Mart. Look at how aggressive some of those turns will be! The coaster will have some wicked transitions.

While I am not a Steeler fan, the steel based theming of the coaster should be a win for the park. It is also nice to see the park make a nod towards the local steel industry, both past and present. The most robust portions of the region's steel making heritage are located right across the river in Braddock, in addition to the Irvin works on the other side of West Mifflin.

I never thought we would ever see a coaster built next to Racer. It is strange to see, but I really can't wait to see this coaster get done.

If you are looking for a gift for someone, or for yourself, check out our 2019 Roller Coaster Wall Calendar. It is available through the dropdown menu at the top of this page, and through our Etsy Store.

Our 2019 Roller Coaster Calendar

It features roller coasters from many amusement parks, including Knoebels, Holiday World, Waldameer, Kentucky Kingdom, Carowinds, Cedar Point, Family Kingdom, Kennywood, Darien Lake, and Kings Island. These calendars are custom made with photos taken by the authors. The calendars open up to be 17 inches tall by 11 inches wide. Purchases can be made using the PayPal menus at the bottom of this page, and at the top of the page.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Today we are pleased to announce the release of our 2019 Roller Coaster Calendar. It features roller coasters from many amusement parks, including Knoebels, Holiday World, Waldameer, Kentucky Kingdom, Carowinds, Cedar Point, Family Kingdom, Kennywood, Darien Lake, and Kings Island. These calendars are custom made with photos taken by the authors. The calendars open up to be 17 inches tall by 11 inches wide. Purchases can be made using the PayPal menus at the bottom of this page, and at the top of the page.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

For us, nothing else quite says summer like visiting Waldameer. We passed through Erie on our way to a Labor Day Weekend trip to the Chautauqua Lake Region. Naturally we stopped at the park twice and had a great time.

Our first stop was mid-morning at the time the park opened for the day. We spent about 1.5 hours at the park and rode Ravine Flyer II, the Sky Ride, and spent some time in the arcade. It is always such a great time stopping in at the park.

Ravine Flyer II was testing as we arrived.

We rode one of our favorites at the park, the Sky Ride. The views of the park and Lake Erie are so awesome, and the ride itself adds so much character to the midway. Here is a view of the Comet, a Herbert Schmeck/PTC classic.

The park's Music Express and the 1920s carousel pavilion, which is utilized as a picnic grove. The carousel pavilion was built for the park's carousel to be moved, which never ended up happening. It is now used as a picnic grove.

The park's oldest structure is the carousel pavilion, which dates back to 1905. It serves as the heart of the park, with it being the first thing that anyone sees as they enter into the park area.

Ravine Flyer II, the park's Chance Sea Dragon, and the swing ride, with Lake Erie out in the distance.

Ravine Flyer III, one of the park's two junior coasters. These Miler coasters are so zippy for how little they are.

The return run on Ravine Flyer II.

The park's Eyerly Spider is back in operation after getting fully taken apart and restored this season by Waldameer's excellent maintenance staff.

Ravine Flyer II is up and running! This world class ride had excellent crowds throughout the whole weekend. This 2008 Gravity Group creation celebrated its tenth anniversary at the park this season.

It was riding ridiculously well this past weekend. It always runs really well, but it was exceptionally great on Labor Day Weekend. We cannot wait for the park to reopen for the 2019 season!

Here is a picture of me experiencing the tremendous backseat airtime that this coaster's first drop offers.

Comet is such an excellent family coaster. This Herbert Schmeck/PTC classic has stood at the park since 1951. It offers a great experience that is good for riders of all ages.

Evening rides on the Ferris Wheel are the best! There is nothing like getting views of the park, Lake Erie, and Presque Isle State Park at sunset.

There is also nothing quite like riding Ravine Flyer II into the sunset.

The sunset over Lake Erie

This park is really in the perfect setting. I would love to see them add a swing tower to take advantage of these great views.

A view of Ravine Flyer II's bridge over a four-lane highway, the only coaster that does that. The track over the bridge was redone this past season and this part offers tremendous airtime.

As always, we had an excellent time at Waldameer and we cannot wait for the 2019 season!

Our 2019 Roller Coaster Calendar is available now, and it features Waldameer and Ravine Flyer II. It is available for only $9.99 plus shipping, using the dropdown menu at the top of the page. For more information, check out this link.